Conventional residential and commercial water faucets including both cold and hot water supplies are ubiquitous in modern society. The uses of such faucets vary greatly, and as a result, the required operating temperatures span a great range as well. Sanitary operations such as the washing of hands often require high temperatures for maximum efficiency, while other simple operations prefer the use of cold temperatures in order to conserve energy. In either case, risks are present in the form of injuries from excessively high temperatures and extreme discomfort as a result of temperatures both too high or too low.
Various attempts have been made to provide water supplies with temperature regulating means. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,120, issued in the name of Bowen, describes a water temperature sensor adapted for mounting on a conventional shower or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,660, issued in the name of Hansen, describes a temperature sensing automatic faucet. The Hansen system includes a thermostat, valves, temperature monitoring, sensors, and the like to provide an automated temperature control system.
U.S. Pat. No. RE 37,888, issued in the name of Cretu-Petra, describes a water faucet with touchless controls. The Cretu-Petra device provides a complete automated system via proximity sensor actuation and an internal automated means for providing a consistent temperature of water.
Additionally, ornamental designs for a water faucet with temperature control features exist, particularly U.S. Pat. Nos. D 525,345. However, none of these designs are similar to the present invention.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Many such systems are complicated and difficult or impossible to retrofit to existing residential systems. Also, many such systems do not provide an easy readout to a user for them to determine the current state of the system. Furthermore, many such systems are not suited for use with faucet systems with both hot and cold water inflows. In addition, many such systems are not detachable for simple cleaning, maintenance, or storage during periods of non-use. Accordingly, there exists a need for a water faucet temperature monitoring system without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.